Roasted Plantain Fries

5 overly ripe plantains

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

1 teaspoon lime zest

¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt (any sea salt will work)

½ teaspoon freshly chopped parsley

Peel plantains and cut in half; then cut each half lengthwise into quarters. Take each piece and cut down the middle once again. You should now have 8 equally sized “french fry” pieces. Be sure to follow the natural contour of the plantain.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Add lime zest to melted butter and stir to combine. Lightly brush all sides of each plantain fry with butter lime mixture and sprinkle with pink Himalayan sea salt (regular sea salt is fine, too).

Bake 3-5 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown. This is a quick process so as your oven continues to heat, browning will occur more quickly. Your plantains should have a nice golden brown color. Remove from oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Cook’s note: Don’t purchase pretty unripened green plantains. They are quite starchy and don’t have the true banana flavor or ‘essence.’ They should look almost black in spots. Now you know you have the best plantains for this dish.

Serves four to six.

Terri Edmunds